Early Career: Acquisition of a Mass Spectrometer for Research and Education in Tectonics and Paleoclimate

该合同支持华盛顿大学购买一台气体源、同位素比质谱仪，用于测量二氧化碳的块状同位素。能够以高精度进行这些测量可以实现广泛的应用--从限制大气二氧化碳预算到记录陨石的热历史--到目前为止最先进的应用是基于碳酸盐中13C-18O块状的古温度计。碳酸盐块状同位素测温法提供了重建陆地古气候、古海拔和上地壳热历史的希望。具体研究将包括利用质谱仪研究土壤中碳酸盐的形成过程并开发古土壤中的古环境指标，(2)约束安第斯山脉、青藏高原和北美西部的气候和地形演变，以及(3)研究埋藏碳酸盐中的同位素重置和沉积盆地中的流体迁移、矿物生长以及脆性变形和成岩作用的相互作用。质谱仪将大大增强研究基础设施，使大量研究人员和学生能够推进由NSF-EAR支持的核心研究。通过这一设施实现的研究将与教育、推广和扩大参与努力相结合，通过大学一级的课程开发和少数族裔高中学生和教师的体验式学习机会。这些活动将加强K-12科学教育以及大学和高中之间的伙伴关系，帮助提高美国对地质分析能力的认识。

This award supports the acquisition of a gas-source, isotope-ratio mass spectrometer to measure clumped isotopologues of CO2 (Δ47) at the University of Washington. The ability to make these measurements with high precision enables a wide range of applications?from constraining atmospheric CO2 budgets to documenting the thermal histories of meteorites?and the most developed application to date is a paleothermometer based on 13C-18O clumping in carbonates. Carbonate clumped isotope thermometry offers the promise of reconstructing terrestrial paleoclimate, paleoelevation, and the thermal history of the upper crust. Specific studies will include use of the mass spectrometer to (1) study carbonate formation processes in soils and develop paleoenvironmental proxies in paleosols, (2) constrain the climatic and topographic evolution of the Andes, Tibetan plateau, and western North America, and (3) investigate isotopic resetting in buried carbonates and fluid migration, mineral growth, and interactions of brittle deformation and diagenesis in sedimentary basins. The mass spectrometer will substantially enhance research infrastructure enabling a large number of investigators and students to advance core research supported by NSF-EAR. Research made possible by this facility will be integrated with education, outreach, and broadening participation efforts through university-level curriculum development and experiential learning opportunities for minority high school students and teachers. These activities will strengthen K-12 science education and partnerships between the university and high schools, helping to raise awareness of geoanalytical capabilities in the U.S. The PI is an early career investigator.